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St. Patrick's Festival
Dublin, March
Background
The Dublin St. Patrick’s Day parade is held annually as part of the four-day St. Patrick’s Festival. The St. Patrick’s Festival was set up by the Irish government in 1995, with the aim of developing an international festival for which the Irish public could be proud. The Dublin parade is held on March 17th, the feast day of Ireland’s patron saint, St. Patrick. Each year, the parade embraces a different theme, usually something associated with Ireland’s rich heritage of myths and legends or even something from the life story of the great man himself, St. Patrick.
According to the ancient records, St. Patrick was a Christian missionary who was kidnapped from Roman Britain when he was sixteen and brought to Ireland as a slave. After living for six years in captivity, he escaped and returned to his family. He began training as a deacon and a bishop, before returning to Ireland to preach to the pagan Irish. Much uncertainty surrounds the story of St. Patrick and many myths and legends have sprung up over the centuries. Most famously, Patrick is reputed to have banished all snakes from Ireland, a slightly dubious feat, given the fact that snakes have never actually inhabited the island of Ireland. Another popular legend suggests that Patrick preached about the Holy Trinity using a 3-leaved clover to represent the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. True or not, these myths and legends have all added colour and magic to the festival, with floats festooned with the now iconic shamrocks, paper mache snakes and whimsical, mystical characters.
The Venue
In recent years, the parade has followed a route from Patrick Street on the south side of the Liffey to Parnell Square on the north side. St Patrick’s Festival provides a limited number of seats for the parade in the covered grandstands along the parade route. Grandstand seats cost €60 and can be booked online at the festival’s official website. Other festival stalwarts include the Céilí Mór at Earlsfort Terrace and Denny’s Big Day Out on Merrion Square.Admission to both the Céilí Mór and Denny’s Big Day Out is free.Getting There
Dublin is accessible via a number of routes. If travelling from the north, follow the M1 from Dundalk. Drivers coming from the west should take the M4 in Maynooth, while those coming from southern directions should follow the M7.5000 LOCATIONS DETAILS
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